China has quietly been preparing to 'fill the vacuum' created by the US leaving the Iran dealBusiness Insider5/9/2018 2:58:23 AM

NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images

China's role in global diplomacy has been rising, and Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal may have given Beijing a major boost.

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Business Insider that China has been playing a "smart, quiet game" with its Middle East diplomacy efforts, but may now choose to "fill the vacuum left by the United States."

China is a key trade partner of Iran's, and may be seen as a natural choice to lead future negotiations, giving Beijing more diplomatic power in the Middle East.

China's role in global diplomacy has been rising, and Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal may have given Beijing a major boost.

China has been playing a “smart, quiet game” with its Middle East diplomacy efforts and may now be able to take on a more leading role in the region, Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Business Insider.See the rest of the story at Business Insider